Inset, left to right: Zarick Lamont Johnson (Macomb County Jail) and Mirhad Cehic (Facebook). Background: The County Line Trade Center, where Johnson allegedly killed Cehic (Google Maps).
A 41-year-old Michigan man is accused of killing a flea market vendor by running over him twice with his van during a dispute over a power washer that reportedly did not work.
Zarick Lamont Johnson was arraigned on one count of first-degree murder and one count of assault and battery, as well as a felony charge of committing an offense with a motor vehicle in connection with the death of 59-year-old Mirhad Cehic, authorities announced.
According to a press release from the Macomb County Prosecutor”s Office, the incident happened Saturday, Sept. 26, at the County Line Trade Center at 20900 Dequindre Road in Warren. Johnson was allegedly “involved in a dispute with brothers Senad and Mirhad Cehic, both of Detroit, over a power washer.”
During the argument, Johnson allegedly physically assaulted Senad and then “drove his 2004 Chevrolet Express van into 59-year-old [Cehic], twice.”
Emergency medical personnel treated Cehic at the scene before transporting him to Henry Ford Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
“This is a terrible situation,” Macomb County Prosecutor Peter J. Lucido said in a statement. “One man is dead, and another man is now charged with murder and could face the most severe punishment provided under Michigan law. A dispute should never end with a life being lost.”
Police provided additional details about the fatal confrontation in a probable cause affidavit obtained by the Morning Sun.
According to the affidavit, after purchasing the power washer, Johnson brought it home and discovered that it did not work. Johnson and a female passenger then returned to the flea market to speak with Cehic, but the encounter quickly escalated into a physical confrontation.
Johnson then got into his van and drove toward Cehic, who was standing in front of the vehicle, police said. He allegedly struck Cehic with the van, then reversed and drove into him a second time, pinning him against a wall of the building that housed the flea market.
Security personnel and bystanders intervened, police said, pulling Johnson from the driver’s seat and holding him until officers arrived. Johnson and his passenger were both taken into custody, but investigators reviewed the evidence, including security footage, and did not charge the passenger.
Johnson appeared before 37th District Judge Suzanne Faunce on Sept. 29 for his arraignment and pleaded not guilty to all charges. Faunce ordered him to remain at the Macomb County Jail without bond.
Johnson’s next court appearance is a probable cause hearing scheduled for Oct. 13.
